Florida News

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Yesterday, Progress
Florida and Environmental Action delivered
more than 7,000 petitions from Floridians
urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) to deny permits for
seismic airgun surveys – the first step
toward offshore drilling – in protected
areas of the Atlantic Ocean, including along
the Florida coastline.

The petitions were submitted to NOAA’s
National Marine Fisheries Service public
comment record that was to close today but
has been extended until July 21.

Additionally, the petitions call upon
U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ryan
Zinke to oppose President Trump’s reckless
plan to open up the South Atlantic Planning
Area, including large swaths off the Florida
coast, to seismic testing and potentially
oil and gas drilling. More than 120 east
coast municipalities formally oppose
offshore drilling and seismic air gun
blasting activity off their coasts.

Seismic blasts have a devastating effect
on turtles, dolphins and whales, which
depend on sound to find food, mate,
navigate, avoid predators, take care of
their young and survive. "The noise from
seismic air gun blasts is so loud that it
can be heard up to 2,500 miles from the
source, devastating marine life, harming
fisheries and coastal economies," added
Ferrulo.

Five applications for Atlantic seismic
air gun surveys are currently pending after
Trump reversed the Obama Administration’s
rejection of seismic airgun surveying off
the Atlantic Coast.

Offshore drilling is the slowest,
dirtiest and most expensive way to generate
energy. According to the federal Mineral
Management Service, hurricanes Katrina and
Rita destroyed 113 oil platforms, damaged
457 pipelines, caused 124 spills totaling
741,000 gallons of oil including six spills
of 1,000 barrels or greater. And that was
all before BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster
wreaked havoc on the waters, wildlife, and
local communities throughout Florida’s Gulf
region.

"Opening our coasts to destructive
drilling would do little to make us energy
independent, but it would threaten our
beaches with pollution and oil spills and
could destroy our multi-billion dollar
tourism and fishing industries," added
Ferrulo.